Wildfrost Reviews

Smaller in scope compared to it's cousins but quite tight. Also stupidly gorgeous.

Lots of people know and love Slay the Spire. And there are quite a lot of games trying to appeal to the same audience. But very few games nail the aspects of Slay the Spire that I love most quite like Wildfrost. And those aspects are: 1. The weight of each decision 2. The gameplay complexity 3. The price of a mistake Even in relatively short playtime, it is clear that I will be playing this game for a long time (maybe not as long as StS but still). There are A LOT of great combos to discover, and it takes a lot of skill and thinking to get them to work. At the same time, each combat requires a specific approach, all of them are different. Even the most powerful deck can easily lose an otherwise easy combat, because these specific enemies are designed to counter your deck's strategy. And that's completely awesome, and something that I almost never saw in other roguelike deckbuilders. At the same time, runs here are typically shorter than StS, and you have to make less total decisions during the run (which I like in this case, it adds elegance). Overall, I think the game is great, on par with Slay the Spire in terms of quality, difficulty, and skill cap. It is smaller in size but that's not a bad thing. Great job devs!

This game's counter mechanic is really unique and sets its apart from other card games. Once I understood that, the game was SUPER easy to pick up. I often have trouble in the first 30 minutes of playing new games and learning the mechanics, which often makes me just give up and uninstall, but this game got addicting really fast! It's super fun.

Great! As a fan of rouge likes and deck building games I would say this is probably on my top 3 list in the genre. I love the charm system and how you can customize not only units, but also your normal playing cards, wich can create satisfying and "broken" (in a good way) combos. If you already played many deck building games it´s not that challenging as I read some reviews before buying that said the game was too hard. I don´t know if they patched the game after that or what, but in my second run I beat the last boss (Not the true ending), but I obviopusly kept playing to unlock everything, win with every tribe, and just yto have fun, later the bells are introduced, wich make the runs more challenging, and to get the true ending it took me a while. The progression and discovering new units, charms and pets its great. In summary, I loved the game and completed it 100% on steam achievements, so yeah I woulñd very much recommend it

Second best deck builder I've played after Slay the Spire. I really like Hearthstone and I enjoyed the similarities.

Wildfrost is a beautifully illustrated and deeply strategic deck-building roguelike that distinguishes itself with a charming art style, unique mechanics, and a genuinely challenging gameplay loop. Developed by Deadpan Games and Gaziter, and published by Chucklefish, the game invites players into a snow-covered world where an eternal winter has overtaken the land, and only the town of Snowdwell remains as the last bastion of hope. As a leader from one of three tribes, you set out on a dangerous expedition to defeat the Wildfrost, battling through increasingly difficult encounters and assembling a team of companions, items, and abilities drawn from a rich card pool. At first glance, Wildfrost may seem like a cozy card game due to its whimsical visuals and cute character designs, but beneath its adorable surface lies a brutal and punishing strategy game. Each run is procedurally generated, and the game’s core mechanics revolve around positioning, timing, and careful resource management. Combat plays out on a grid with multiple rows, where your leader and companions face off against varied enemies. Every card and character operates on a countdown timer rather than a traditional mana system, which adds a dynamic rhythm to turns. This system demands foresight—misjudging an enemy’s countdown or misplacing a character can result in a swift defeat. The countdown mechanic is what sets Wildfrost apart from other deckbuilders and adds a refreshing layer of complexity. What makes the gameplay truly addictive is the interplay between cards, gear, and companions. As you progress through battles, you earn new units, spells, and items that synergize with your deck and tribe. The customization of builds is both rewarding and daunting, as even small changes can have cascading effects on how your team performs. There’s no single dominant strategy, and the roguelike nature of the game means you often have to adapt based on what the game offers. The unpredictability of each run keeps things exciting and encourages experimentation. Losing is part of the learning process, and even failed runs grant resources that allow you to unlock new cards, tribes, and permanent town upgrades in Snowdwell. Snowdwell itself serves as a hub between runs and plays a central role in the game’s meta-progression. As you complete achievements and defeat bosses, you unlock new cards, events, charms, and features in the town. This mechanic ensures that players always feel a sense of growth, even when a run ends in failure. It also means that the game evolves over time, slowly revealing deeper layers and more strategic options as new content becomes available. The town’s visual design, like the rest of the game, is endearing and full of personality, creating a cozy atmosphere that contrasts nicely with the unforgiving battles. Visually, Wildfrost is a standout. The hand-drawn characters and environments are bursting with personality, from the grumpy-looking monsters to the whimsical companions that join your team. Animations are smooth and expressive, making the battlefield feel lively despite its turn-based nature. The user interface is clean and informative, which is crucial given how many variables players must juggle during combat. The soundtrack complements the visual design well, mixing calming melodies with more intense battle themes that rise as the tension does. The overall presentation is polished and cohesive, creating a memorable and inviting aesthetic that belies the game’s difficulty. Despite all its strengths, Wildfrost is not without flaws. Its difficulty curve can be harsh, particularly for players unfamiliar with the roguelike or deckbuilding genres. Some early-game battles feel disproportionately punishing due to unlucky enemy draws or limited card options. Additionally, certain card synergies may feel either overpowered or underwhelming depending on your luck, and while the game encourages adapting to what’s given, it can sometimes feel like success hinges too heavily on RNG. These frustrations, however, are often mitigated by the sheer depth of options and the satisfaction that comes from mastering the mechanics over time. In conclusion, Wildfrost is a rich and rewarding deckbuilder that manages to combine strategic depth with artistic charm. It builds upon the foundations laid by genre staples like Slay the Spire but adds enough unique twists—like its countdown system, positional tactics, and town-building progression—to stand firmly on its own. While its difficulty and reliance on randomness might deter some, those who embrace the challenge will find a game filled with clever design, engaging gameplay, and an irresistible visual style. For fans of card games and roguelikes, Wildfrost is a standout title that promises hours of thoughtful, if occasionally frustrating, fun. Rating: 8/10

I did had fun until I keep losing from RNG or more enemy keep popping up or stack effect from the monster. Game stress me out keep dying to many mobs that stack too many negative effect. cant even beat game with any of class with random RNG stats.

Darling hold my hands, nothing beats the fast phase rogue-like deck building card game. There's no grinding nor in-game credits but achieve some achievements to unlock some cool cards or power-ups. Super easy to understand and the artstyle was cute and appealing. The gameplay length wasnt that long but still fun to play again after getting whopped ass just like other rogue-like game. To getting strong in game is to by learning mistakes throughout the Wildfrost journey instead of upgrading stats like other game. Maybe the real Wildfrost is the knowledge that we learn along the way.

Surprisingly difficult given the cutesy art style. Still fun though and can get easily sucked into "just one more run"

80% of the time, I like it. You get a lot of options to build with and you can more or less steer your run towards victory every time... Then there's the 20% of the time when the game has decided through random chance that since you didn't build a snow and ink deck, you have now lost because the randomly extremely overtuned boss encounter destroys you. This undermines the value of nearly all strategies in this game because snow and ink are extremely powerful, and they're the only things that can effectively combat the absurd encounters the game throws at you at higher difficulties. Oh, you wanted to build a poison deck and chip bosses down in a war of attrition? Well, too bad. This boss has 90 HP and they hit your whole team for six damage and they have smackback and they heal on kill. Oh, and all the extra enemies snow you and they have a two turn cooldown. Good luck! Overall I'd say the game is more fun than unfun, but dear lord do I wish there was an option to mulligan encounters and reroll boss stats. Even just being able to do it once per run would do a lot to foster a more varied playstyle, one that isn't just snow and ink.